Garment hanger



Nov. 25, 1958 M. BECHIK 2,861,725

GARMENT HANGER Filed Sept. 16, 1957 INVENT OR.

BY I 47'70P/VZK5 United States Patent GARMENT HANGER Michael Bechik, St. Paul, Minn.

Application September 16, 1957, Serial No. 684,178 1 Claim. (11. 223-91) My invention relates to garment hangers and more particularly to conventional garment hangers of the type which include a hook-equipped shank, downwardly diverging coat supporting arms and a horizontally disposed bar underlying the arms and connecting the lower ends thereof and adapted for support of pants, skirts, or the like.

Garment hangers of the type in question are most commonly formed from relatively small diameter enamel finished metallic wire. Hence, the thin smooth horizontal bars thereof afiord a highly unsatisfactory support for garments hung thereover. In fact, unless the garment is a 2,861,725 lce Patented Nov. 25, 1958 Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive of the drawings whereina convenperfectly balanced thereon, it will slide off completely.

Particularly is this true of mens pants which, of necessity, are heavier at their waist-encompassing upper ends than they are at their lower cuff-forming ends.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of a novel garment hanger of the type above described which is provided with highly efiicient means for quickly and securely frictionally anchoring to the horizontal bar, garments hung thereover.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the class immediately above described which is extremely inexpensive to produce, which is foolproof in its operation and which is durable.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of an attachment for conventional garment hangers which may be inexpensively produced, which may be readily attached to the garment hangers and detached therefrom, and which will not in any way detract from the overall efiiciency-of the garment hanger.

The above and still further objects of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claim, and attached drawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of my novel garment hanger;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in section and partly in side elevation taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1, the garment being shown in end elevation;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in plan as seen from the line 33 of Fig. 1; v

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view corresponding to a portion of Fig. l, but showing a slightly modified form thereof;

Fig. 5 is a view in section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, the garment being shown in full lines;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view corresponding to Fig. 4, but showing a still further modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken substantially on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Referring with greater particularity to the structures of tional garment hanger formed from a single length of wire is shown, the numeral 1 indicates a shank, the upper end of which is formed to provide a hook 2. Carried by the shank 1 are a pair of downwardly diverging coat-supporting arms 3, the lower ends of which are connected by a horizontal garment-supporting bar 4.

A pair of identical wedge-shaped bodies 5 are shown slidably mounted one each on one of the arms 3 for movements parallel to the axis of the respective arms 3, as indicated by the full and dotted line positions of Fig. 1. The bodies 5 are formed along their upper edges to provide cooperating jaw elements 6 which preferably and as shown are spaced apart to facilitate insertion of the arms 3 therein. Preferably the bodies 5 are formed from relatively soft rubber or soft resilient plastic material such as polyethylene, whereby the jaw elements 6 may be readily spread apart to permit insertion of the arms 3 therebetween, and thereafter said jaw elements 6 will frictionally engage the arms 3 to discourage free sliding movement of the body 5 with respect to its cooperating arm 3.

As shown particularly in Fig. 2, the undersurfaces of the bodies 5 are formed to define an elongated groove 7, the axis of which is parallel to the hanger bar 4 upon which it is mounted. Also as there shown, the transverse width of the groove 7 is greater than that of the bar 4 so as to receive therein not only the bar 4 but the material of a garment X hung over the bar 4 when the bodies 5 are moved to their full line positions of Fig. 1. In said full line positions, the bodies 5 are wedged into a garment clamping position from which they are not apt to be accidentally moved. However, when it is desired -to move the bodies 5 to the dotted line position of Fig. 1 so as to remove the garment from the hanger bar 4, this may be quickly done by imparting intentional sliding movements thereto against the friction exerted by the jaw elements 6 upon the arms 3.

The slightly modified structure of Figs. 4 and 5 varies I only from that of the structures of Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive in that the jaw elements 611 are longitudinally continuous as distinguished from being intermittent and staggered as shown in the structures of Figs. 1 to 3.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the enlarged supporting arms 3a are provided with longitudinally extended slots 8 on their opposite sides for the reception of opposed resilient integrally formed jaws 9 of the bodies 5a. The horizontal hanger bar is identified by the numeral 4a, whereas the groove in the lower end of the body 5a is identified by the reference character 7a.

My invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completely satisfactory for the accomplishment of the above objects and while I have shown a preferred embodiment thereof, I wish it to be understood that same is capable of modification without departure from the scope and spirit of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

An attachment for combination coat and pants hangers of the type which include a hook-equipped shank, a pair of downwardly diverging coat supporting arms carried by said shank and a horizontal hanger bar connecting the lower ends of said arms, said attachment comprising a body of generally Wedge shape in side elevation and being formed from relatively soft resilient plastic material, means for mounting the upper edge of said body on one of said arms for frictional sliding movements parallel to the axis of said arm, the undersurface of said body defining an elongated groove the axis of which is parallel to said horizontal hanger bar and the transverse width of which is greater than that of said bar, said means com- References Cited in the file of this patent prising a pair of cooperating resilient gripping jaw UNITED STATES PATENTS elements formed integrally with said body and projecting upwardly therefrom and said jaw elements being adapted 2, Rosenberg Dec. 6, 1949 to friotionally engageopposite side portion of a a m 5 2, 1,7 McLean June 22, 1954 received thei'ebetween. 2,805,805 Orzech et a1 Sept. 10, 1957 

